theres one MAJOR point that nobody’s mentioned yet: not getting to your destination.
Lots of posts complained about the security stuff, which doesnt bother me at all–it just adds 20-30 minutes of standing in line.Thats a minor hassle, but I can plan for it.
But what does bother me when I fly is never knowing if I’m going to get there.
And no, I’m not talking about potential accidents. I’m talking about missed connections and cancelled flights.
When you drive, you are in total control of your time, and you know when you will arrive. When you fly, you arrive at gate 6A on time, only to be told that a thunderstorm 500 miles away delayed the plane that was supposed to land at gate 6A, so you will be leaving 2 hours later. And then you miss your connecting flight, and your luggage gets sent to suitcase heaven, and you are fricking screwed.
LAX is my home airport.
If you are flying in and out on the same airline, you should not have to leave the sterile security area. There used to be one exception to this, American Airlines used to have two concourses on opposite sides of the Tom Bradley International terminal. According to the map this is no longer true. LAX has even re-worked the security for terminals 6, 7, and 8. Because United has flights in all three, you can clear security at any point and have free access to all the gates in these terminals without a re-screen. This is a big improvement over late 2001.
if you fly on airline partners (eg Star Alliance) you might fly in on one airline and out on another (in on United out on Air Canada) this would require re-screening. Based on my experiences, very rarely does screening exceed 15 minutes. BFD. I have waited for the parking shuttle for longer than I wait for security. Luggage check in closes 45 minutes before flight, if it takes me 10-15 minutes to clear security, what is the big deal?
Changing planes has always been a pain in the back end - even back when there was less security. If you can fly direct, it isn’t bad. Also, depends a lot on what airport you are coming into/going out of - and if you can do a carryon.
Also depends on how much you enjoy driving.
I’ll take three hours in a cramped coach seat over 16 hours in a car. But I won’t take four hours of flight/airport hassle to save a six hour drive (unless I’m with the kids - kids in the car for hours is painful).
Oh, another callout here for exiting the secured area during connections in the last 2 years: JFK, AmericaWest to American, and American to Delta. Also parts of American Terminal 8 to American Terminal 9; I understand there’s construction underway to link everything but last time I did that I still had to pop out.
Also, only in the last year and a half or so have the terminals at** SJU** been connected through the sterile zone; before, if one on your flights was on American/Continental/COPA and the other was on USAir/Delta/Iberia (or affiliates) you had to go out, too.
One advantage to driving not mentioned - you can start for home when it suits you, not the airline. The only place I’ve gone to that this was an option was Santa Barbara. After dealing with United a few times, I started driving. Half the flights from SFO were through LAX, and so took forever. SFO tends to get flights delayed. Plus meetings often end early or go late. With a car, I don’t have to deal with getting a hotel shuttle from the airport, sitting around waiting for flight time, or leaving early. I can also go and eat anywhere I want to when I arrive, and not get stuck in the hotel or pay for a cab. I also don’t have to drive to the airport, park, take the bus, and do it all again when I arrive.
I don’t mind flying, but it has gotten to be more of a cattle car situation lately. I mind that far more than check in.
Well, points well taken. I did the last LAX flight two weeks ago. There had been a shitload of construction and re-aligning of access. Perhaps ( imagine?? ) it has gotten a bit easier for connecting travellers in that facility.
If you take your own jet, it’s no hassle at all. You drive up to it and the pilots ask if you’re ready to go, they put your bags in the back, you climb in, he climbs in after you and closes the door, and away you go. During the flight you can ask what all the controls do, and he points out interesting things. If you fly in a LearJet you can make the trip around 50,000 feet up, so the big commercial jets are about 15,000 feet below you (their contrails are black when viewed from above). If you ask nicely, the pilot will rattle all the windows for several miles around for you. Once you land, the rental car is waiting on the tarmac, and the jet taxies up to it and lets you out.